The danger of blackouts in Europe is increasing, warns a German energy export. The result could be “numerous deaths “. Also, $10 a gallon not far off…
In a recent interview with independent journalist Boris Reitschuster, German energy expert Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt warns that the risk of as power blackout in Europe is increasing as baseload power gets decommissioned and more unstable renewable energies are fed in.
Larger blackouts would mean “numerous deaths” and that Germany’s neighbors would be “dragged into the abyss.” Particularly Holland, Belgium, the north of France and above all Austria would be affected.
Wind and sun are flopping
Vahrenholt describes Europe’s recent energy supply development, which is increasingly focused on weather-dependent sources such as wind and sun, as “dramatic”.
Currently grid operators are struggling to “keep the system running to the bitter end,” says Vahrenholt. Already aluminum and steel plants are being shut down. As energy supplies tighten, there’s a risk that cities will blackouts. Policymakers are “underestimating the problem”.
Worse, the seriousness of the situation is not recognized in politics and the media, so that there will be real impacts in the next one to two years, says Vahrenholt. He warns people will not put up with this much longer. “They told us otherwise,” they will say.
Energy shortages will fuel inflation
“They aren’t concerned about the climate at all, it’s about breaking away from being a highly developed industrialized country.” says Vahrenholt.
Ten dollars a gallon not far off
The energy shortages will also lead to considerable inflation, as is already evident at the petrol stations: “Two euros per liter of gasoline is not the end of the end of it,” warns Vahrenholt.
He warns energy is becoming more expensive and unreliable in Germany. “We will have to get used to power cuts.” And if Nordstream 2 doesn’t come: “the lights will go out in Germany.”
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Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt was Managing Director of RWE Innogy GmbH — the renewable energy sector — from 2008 to 2012. Until 2019, he was the sole director of the German Wildlife Foundation. Vahrenholt, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, has been an honorary professor at the University of Hamburg.
via NoTricksZone
By P Gosselin on 23. November 2021
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